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To be experienced before the new stadium gets built!

Anfield is the home of Liverpool FC, one of England's most successful football teams both domestically and in Europe. It is one of the few "cauldrons" left in English football - other stadiums may be bigger, but the atmosphere just isn't the same. It's therefore an absolute must for any fan of Liverpool, or football fan in general to come and see a match here.

Access to the stadium is fairly easy. You can either walk from the City Centre (bit long, but do-able), or just get a bus or a taxi. The stadium itself is surrounded by older streets and terraced houses. It's a condensed area, and naturally gets very crowded before and after matches. It's therefore a bit claustrophobic if you are not good with big crowds, but i've been a good number of times and never seen any trouble. There can be a share of rowdiness, but it's a football match - that's to be expected.

Inside it's a great medium sized stadium offering a great view from almost any position. There are some pillars found throughout, but none you can't see past.

As for the stands, so far i've been in every one apart from the Kop. I hear this is the best, but i've been pretty pleased with all the others. Needless to say if you are behind the goal, your view isn't going to be panoramic. It can however have it's advantages. Just be careful not to get stuck in with opposing fans, especially if you want to cheer on your team. Technically there shouldn't be a problem, as stewards are plenteous, but you just wouldn't know, especially in big games in Manchester United or Everton.

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Love it!

Anfield is the home of Liverpool FC. It is an all seater stadium with a capacity of 45,362.

Getting thereIf you are coming from the East, follow the M62 right until the end. When you come to the end of the motorway, you bear right onto the A5058 and then after around 3 miles you turn left (where there is a McDonalds on the corner) and then right again after a futher mile. As you can imagine, the ground is very well sign posted.

ParkingThere is a car park at the ground, however, it is for permit holders only so no good for the occasional visitor. If you get to the ground early, street parking can be found, however, they have introduced a residents scheme on many of the streets surrounding the ground. On my most recent visit, I parked at a school not too far from the ground (around a 5 minute walk) - this cost £10 per car. They also offer parking at Goodison Park (Home of Everton FC) which also costs £10 and is a short walk away from Anfield across Stanley Park.

PricesLiverpool operate a category system, the prices for each category and stand are as follows:

Obviously quite expensive, especially for Children who can only obtain reduced price tickets in the Anfield Rod end of the ground.

The ground itselfFrom the outside, the ground is nothing spectacular, it certainly isn't as impressive and awe inspiring as the likes of Old Trafford, City of Manchester Stadium etc.

However, what it lacks in exterior appearance, it makes up in so many other ways including history and tradition, the place is steeped in the stuff!

The ground has 4 separate stands, however, they do join at the corners. The most well known stand is The Kop, which is a single tiered stand at one end of the ground. I have only been in The Kop once and it is an awesome experience, however, I must say I prefer to sit in another stand so I can see The Kop, especially on European nights with all the flags and scarfs out, it really is an impressive site. Most of the singing etc starts from The Kop and seeing You'll Never Walk Alone sung from it is one of the best sights in football.

Opposite The Kop is the Anfield Road end. This is a 2 tiered stand where both home and away fans are housed. This is the stand I have sat in the most and it provides fantastic views, especially from the second tier - the front row of the second tier probably gives you the best view in the entire stadium.

The Centenery Stand runs the length of the pitch and is also a 2 tiered stand however it is larger than the Anfield Road end. This stand also contains all the executive boxes and TV Studios (the studios are situated in the corner between the Centenery Stand and Anfield Road end).

The remaining stand is the Main Stand, which is the oldest stand in the ground and the only one that still has supporting pilars, which means that unless you are sat right at the front of this stand, your view is obstructed. The main stand houses the tunnel and the dug outs along with the TV gantry. Quite a lot of the seats in the upper part of the stand are wooden and quite uncomfortable!

The downside to both the Centenery and Main Stands is that due to how the ground is laid out, some of the seats are behind the goal line, so you find yourself constantly sitting to one side - the view from the extremities of the Stands is not particularly fantastic and there is no reduction in price for what are inferior seats.

Outside the ground you will find plenty to do, there is the museum and visitor centre outside The Kop which you can visit on a match day - they also do tours of the stadium when games are not being played. Next to the visitor centre is the club shop which is vast and sells just about anything you could possibly want with a club crest on it, the prices are quite reasonable too, however, it does get VERY busy on a match day so if you want a good luck, its recommended you give yourself plenty of time. Outside the shop/visitor centre is the Bill Shankly statue, as you can imagine, all this means that the area gets very busy during a match day, especially when the ticket office is just 'next door' too!

At the opposite end of the stadium, you can find the Shankly Gates and the Hillsborough memorial which pays tribute to the 96 Liverpool fans who very tragically lost their lives at Hillsborough. The memorial almost always has flowers by it, and many fans tie their scarfs to the Gates, especially around the time of the anniversary of the tragedy.

The ground is situated just over the road from Stanley Park, but is in the midst of lots of terraced housing, which means it is almost impossible for them to extend the current ground. Plans have been submitted to move to a new stadium on Stanley Park, but to date, the project has not gone ahead. It will be a sad sad day for football when Liverpool eventually move away from what is one of the most well known grounds worldwide.

FoodThe food at Anfield is amazing, mainly due to Scouse Pie! A must have for anyone who is visiting, probably the best pie I have ever tasted. However, you have to be careful - at the ground they call them 'Premium Pies' and if you ask for Scouse, you could end up with a Steak one like they tried to give me the other week! They also sell hot dogs, chocolate, crisps and they are all the usual prices. The soft drinks come in cups and not bottles and are therefore quite watered down so wouldn't really recommend them - not at £2 a cup anyway!

FacilitiesThe last time we visited we sat in the Main Stand and the facilities/comfort of the upper concourse leaves a lot to be desired. The room on the concourse is very very limited - we got in quite early (with around 45 minutes or so to kick off) and it was already starting to get uncomfortable, meaning that we didn't even bother going down at half time as it was unpleasant.

The toilets were clean and plentiful.

Getting away from the groundThis is where the fun starts! As you can imagine, moving 45,000 people away from one area is never going to be easy! Getting out of the stand takes forever as everyone tries to filter out of the ground via small staircases, this in itself can take a good 5 minutes after the final whistle has gone. If you are leaving via the Main Stand and need to move to the other end of the ground it can also be a bit 'interesting' as the area in which you need to walk is not massive, and they have all the TV trucks too. It is very slow moving and cramped - especially when fans are also protesting outside the directors entrance due to the current ownership of the club.

As I said earlier, we parked around a 5 minute walk from the stadium on our latest visit, the game finished just before 10 and we didn't move out of the car park until after 11pm as the traffic was just at a standstill. We finally got moving away from the immediate area but then got caught in traffic when getting onto the M62. It was nearly 3.5 hours before we got home, for what is normally around a 90 minute journey. I guess these things are to be expected, but I would certainly recommend doing your homework on parking etc if you need to be somewhere not too log after the final whistle.

Overall impressionsI love Anfield, there is not a better sight in football than when The Kop gets going. The whole ground is seeped in history and tradition, it is what a football ground should be like. Obviously it has its flaws, and it is not as modern as many Premiership grounds are, but you forget all of that as soon as you take your seat and become immersed in the atmosphere that such a special stadium can create. I will be gutted when Liverpool move to a new stadium, and I am not even a Liverpool 'fan', just an occasional visitor!

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The best ground in the world

Liverpool FC has been a factor in my life, all my life. Even though I'm from Grimsby and have supported the Mariners all my life I've been a liverpool fan since the early eighties. I've had the pleasure of watching liverpool at Anfield approximately 20 times over the last 10-12 years and in my opinion the noise at Anfield is better than any ground in the country.

Anfield

Anfield is to be found in the borough of Anfield and is the reason Liverpool football club exists at all, it was the home for 8 years of Everton before a row meant they moved to a new site at Goodison and the owners of Anfield decided to start a new club. They decided to call it Liverpool and since 1892 it has been the home of the new club. The ground has four stands, the Centenary stand, Maine stand, Anfield road and of course the world famous Kop. I've never had the pleasure of standing on the kop, as tickets are rarer than hens teeth.

The Kop is the most famous stand not only in football but probably in sport and was once the reason for a panorama programme in the 1960's looking at its special environment. The Kop is named after the Spion Kop, a famous battle in the Boar war, technically its not the biggest historically I think Sheffield Wednesday's was bigger but at its peak it held 28000 people. The Kop belts out the heartbeat of the ground and drives the team forward, the side will always attack the Kop end in the second half.

Anfield as a ground has certain problems, its lacking proper parking and your best off parking at one of the supervised car parks dotted around the ground. If your truly desperate you can normally park at Goodison Park but it just feels wrong!!

The centenary stand probably gives the best views of the stadium it was built to commemorate the clubs centenary in 1992 and is double tiered, the Anfield road stand holds the away fans and the Maine stand is now the grounds oldest. The famous Kop stand was knocked down and replaced with a 12000 all-seater to be in line with the Taylor report.

The ground has many special features, there is the shankley gates with the quote "you'll never walk alone". There is also a bronze of Shankley holding a scarf, I think the moment was after the club winning the championship in 1972, though I might be wrong.

Getting to Anfield

The stadium is one of the hardest to get to without a car, its 2 miles from Lime street but there is a Soccerbus from Sandhills station to both liverpool football teams grounds and it costs just 1.50. In truth its the best way to get to the ground.

Anfield is a UEFA elite stadium and has held England internationals and rugby matches. Its current capacity is 45000 and its record attendence is 61000 for a match against wolves in 1952.

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great memories are created here, simply the best

Ive been to anfield over 200 times, some great days some not, but one things for sure, the atmosphere on a european night and the big premiership games is second to none.You arrive at anfield and from the outside it doesnt look anything special, yes its a well built stadium and is brimmed with memories but to look at it you wouldnt think so. Around there stadium however there is the lovely shankly gates, from up to 3-4 hours before every game you will see people standing outside them having their photos taken, the same goes for the shankly statue which is further round near the clubshop, there must be hundreds of thousands of pictures of different people stood doing the same pose as shankly once did caught on film.Once you get through the turnstiles, depending on where your going to be sat in the ground, you will be under the stand and have the chance to get a beverage or pie or even place a last minute bet at ladbrokes.The pies are pretty good compared to other grounds, id recommend the scouse pie, very tasty!The beer is ok, it is only carlsberg im afraid and in some stands its out of a can which isnt pleasant when you pay 2.60 for it!

The capacity at anfield is 45,362, and is regularly close to that at nearly every home game these days, it was a lot more than that before it became all seated.The four stands are called:The KopThe Main Stand (also with the paddock)Anfield Road endThe Centenary Stand

The kop is the place to go for the best atmosphere, its where all the fans who like to sing go and where most of the songs start, it holds around 12 thousand i think and makes one hell of roar on the big nights.The seats are ok, plastic with just enough leg room but once the game starts you dont care anyways.

No matter where you sit in anfield you will get a good view, and someone sat next to you is always willing to chat and be friendly.

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Spectacular

The fans of Liverpool football club are famous worldwide for their passion, dedication and loyalty. Anfield is possibly one of the most spectacular and wonderful places to enjoy a football match, whether it be a friendly, an English premier league clash or a Champions League semi final. Few, whether Liverpool fans or not, can deny the aura surrounding Anfield. The passion and buzz in the air at Anfield on match days has yet to be matched by any other stadium in the world. Watching Liverpool and Arsenal's April 2009 clash at Anfield, I couldn't sit still. The final score was 4-4. A draw. Of course, a win would have been better for our Premier League campaign but few would complain at witnessing the celebration of 4 Liverpool goals at Anfield in one night. A truly spectacular place, a truly wonderful team, and truly one of the best football stadia in the world.

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A great day out for any football fan

I went on the stadium tour around anfield, about two years ago, you start the tour outside of the stadium where the team buses enter the stadium, this was very good and the tour guide was telling us about when Alex Ferguson was egged by the Liverpool fans so it is now guarded off from fans, we were lucky to see Xabi Alonso leaving the stadium because he was coming in for a few tests on his leg, he waved to the fans and drove off in his mini. Once entering the stadium the tour guide took us into the changing rooms of both the home and away teams, liverpools home changing room was alot more luxury compared to the away but was still not as modern as you may expect, it was mainly just coat hangers with benches below, there was also a shower and bath area for the players and a drawing board for the manager himself. The tour guide then showed us where the players and managers are interviewed for MOTD and sky sports etc in the pre and post match. We were then able to touch the 'This is Anfield' sign before we entered the pitch side, here we were able to sit in the dugouts over the turf of Anfield. We then went into the Kop end to see the view from there which was very good.After the tour of inside the stadium the tour guide took us into the museum where we were free to roam round, the museum included loads of differend memorabilia from John Arne Riise's champions league shirt to Biddy Liddels boots, you also get the chance to see the latest addition to the trophy cabinet the FA cup from the win against West Ham in 2006. The champions league/European trophies are all available to view and are lined up together.A very good afternoon for fantasic value for money.

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One of the great football grounds, a must visit

Having been a season ticket holder at Anfield for the last 15 years, i'll try to give my unbiased opinion on what has become of one of the most famous stadiums in football.Walking up to ground is a throw back to the old days in itself, either weaving through the terraced houses which surround the ground (some of which have been boarded up and vacated) or walking across the beautiful stanley park and football pitches which seperates Anfield from Evertons Goodison Park. Unfortunately, these pitches are the planned position for the new stadium if it ever gets built, which is a shame because there's a funny feeling walking past sunday morning football matches just a few yards away from a world class football match.

From the outside, the stadium doesn't look particularly imposing, but there is a unique aura surrounding it as you can sense the history and tradition which the club it steeped in. The shankly gates, hillsbrough memorial, HJC shop, the flagpole, and even the Sandon pub where the club was founded are all attractions which, slightly cringeworthly, the new club owners are playing on. For example, they have booked out the top floor in the Sandon for corporate people and on any given day you can find people from various corners of the world posing for a photo infront of the statue of Bill Shankly. The club shop is right behind the statue at the foot of The Kop. It's not really the place for me, being so busy it's hard to move and selling anything possible with a LFC logo on (an LFC cape is available...for fully grown men) but i'm sure it's a very nice place.

Inside the ground, it is quite old and concrete walls and steps surround various bars and counters selling well overpriced food and drinks. My suggestion is take your own half time snack otherwise you could fork out over a fiver for a bag of crisps and a drink, and queue for 30 mins for the pleasure. However, when you step foot into the pitch view towards your seat, that is when you really feel like you are at a proper, historical football ground.

The main stand is where the directors, tv cameras, subs and generally the whinging fans who have been going since 1900! The Anfield Road End is a two tiered stand with the away fans in the bottom corner towards the Main Stand. This stand is usually for the people on day trips and tickets on general sale. The Centenery Stand (our stand, Lower Row 11 Seat 68) is the biggest and has two tiers seperated by corporate boxes which i once got to go in one with a friend who's dad worked for adidas. I remember absolutely nothing of the experience apart from beating Leeds 5-0! Then The Kop, that's the massive single tiered stand which holds 12,000, you know, the world famous one. Not much i can say about it that you've probably never heard before except there's nothing like it on a European night, however, it's generally like a morgue on normal matchdays. Holding around 45,000 it's not one of the biggest grounds in the country and doesn't have the option of expansion. Hence the new stadium proposal, which is a disaster.

When the teams run out to YNWA, there is a special feeling and cameras flash constantly throughout. Although, last season they changed it so YNWA was played when the players were already on the pitch so they could play a Premiership 'friendship anthem'. Another sign of the horrible way modern football is going.

The atmosphere throughout the game definately depends on the occasion but there is a certain vibe around the ground and a family feel, such as George the tannoy man who has been working there since the 60's and the half time awards always presented by ex players.

After the game the queues are nothing like as horrendous as other grounds i've visited and it's generally easy to get back to your car/taxi/pub in good time. Just watch out for the kids who say 'can i mind yer car mate?' and then leg it with the pound you gave them for their services.

Overall, my favourite football ground (obviously) steeped in history and tradition. A must visit for any football fan, but don't expect the modern look or services. We like to remind people of our history you see.

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Will be enjoyed by both travelling and home supporters

It is almost impossible to think of Liverpool Football Club without thinking of Anfield, the venue for Liverpool's home fixtures. The history of the club is well known to many but if you visit the stadium there are constant reminders for all to see which are sure to evoke tremendous emotions and memories.

The famous Kop stand is unique; it houses over 12,000 people at capacity and is the largest single tier stand in European football. It is here where the majority of the Anfield atmosphere is generated and in my opinion provides the best all round seat for those patrons looking for a good view and great atmosphere.

Although the stadium is now trailing behind a number of other stadia in terms of capacity (maximum attendance is now slightly over 45,000) the in-house facilities are good with a number of places to purchase refreshments (although not cheap) and use the toilet.

In front of the Kop is a statue of Liverpool's legendary former manager Bill Shankly, this is constantly surrounded by both travelling and home supporters and will provide an excellent opportunity for photos with the great man.

Around the other side of the stadium is the memorial to the Hillsborough tragedy, again there is usually a number of people paying their remembrances and leaving flowers, scarves or shirts.

An historic stadium that is in need of some updating if Liverpool F.C are to remain in touch with the elite of the Premier League or more likely a move to a new stadium in the not too distant future.

The only real negative to the stadium is the access and parking which is common with most of the older grounds, it is on this front that Anfield cannot compete with a newer stadium such as The City of Manchester stadium.

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one of the best grounds in the world

I have been going to Anfield since I was 8 years old and it's changed considerably in that time as has the sport of football itself and the entrance costs!! What has not changed is the amazing atmosphere that this ground creates, yes that is a lot to do with the fans on the Kop but this ground seems to have an aura all of its own.

I know as a Liverpool fan I am biased, but I've taken neutral spectators to watch a game and they have been almost spell bound. Even after over 20 years, I still get the hairs standing on the back of my neck, and that starts when I catch sight of stands through the terraced housing as you approach.

Compared to when i first visited in the 1980s, its a much more fan friendly experience, with cleaner, modern facilities. However, there is room for improvement in this aspect, if you visit other newer premiership grounds you can kind of see why Liverpool want a new stadium. I just worry a new stadium might not have the same awe inspiring effect of the old ground.

Ive never had a problem with obscurred views, however the old main stand does have about four big roof supports that could spoil the view. Ive always preferred the Kop (of course) or the kemlyn road stand (centenary), these have great views of the pitch.

Okay the spectator capacity isnt the biggest, it isnt the most modern of stadiums and its bang in the middle of victorian terraced housing so access can be tricky but this pales into significance. Its funny how a building or vehicle can stir emotions and its hard to explain, but this is ground does just that. If you visit Liverpool then make sure you try and see this place.

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Restricted views should not be an issue for modern grounds

Rarely have I been to a ground so steeped in history and tradition and rarely have a been to a ground a left with more disappointment than my one and only trip to Anfield.

My main gripe with the stadium is that, while appreciate that it is on its last legs and a new stadium is immanent, surely we should have seen the last of restricted views at these grounds. I don't expect to have to pay top money to sit behind a huge pylon in the main stand. It was going straight down the line of one of the goals from where I was sitting and ruined not only my experience but also that of the two people sat either side of me as I frantically leant from side to side just to see the ball.

That is the main grip, but I had also heard so much about the famous atmosphere that can be generated there, but for the England match I went to when they faced Uruguay, this atmosphere was practically non-existant. It wasn't that the fans didn't try, it was more a case of the sound escaping and the acoustics not being great.

Other than that, the Anfield experience is a pretty good and nostalgic one as you stand outside the famous gates and imagine those thousands of flowers laid there after the Hillsborough disaster and you walk around the ground and soak up the pre-match build up.

Once inside the ground you are immediately greeted by endless kiosks, possibly the most food outlets I have ever seen in one concourse, and because of this the queues are more than tolerable. The prices however are a little on the expensive side and you would be best taking your own in really.

Once in your seat the problems begin. I can only vouch for the main stand and not the other 3, but in this stand, on top of the pylon issues mentioned earlier, the leg room is appalling and it does make you feel a little crammed in.

You could almost smell the history once inside and it did make the hairs stand up on the back of my neck but all in all I will not be in too much of a hurry to go back there.

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One of the better ones

Anfield is the home to Liverpool football club, and it is quite suprising to know that although it belongs to one of the biggest clubs in the country, it isnt the largest stadium, only being able to seat around 40000 people, which is quite disappointing, especially for away fans as they dont offer that many seats for us.

I have been here a couple of times in the past few years, and I have to give credit to the Liverpool fans, they are so loyal, and did I mention loud, they beat our singing by a mile. The atmosphere is this stadium could lift the roof off, it is brilliant. There is hardly any trouble after any match here, seen as the security in the form of the police and stewards policing the stadium is so tight (not that I am saying that it is so tight that you cant enjoy the game), that you can really feel safe. As soon as the players come out of the tunnel, the action starts. You can see everything on the big boards, which are huge and situated at either end of the stadium, and displays all announcements throughout the games, such as the score, goals, and players.

It may not be the biggest stadium, but it is still one of the best. I cant wait until I get to go and see them again.

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Immense Stadium and Atmosphere

Anfield, Well what can i say apart from HEAVEN! it has the most amazing atmosphere on match days. Its not the biggest stadium it has a capacity of roughly 40,000.

I've only been up there foure times, but those four times were purely spectacular, everybody is in high spirits guaranteed. And when You'll Never Walk Alone echoes through the stadium it brought a tear to my eyes everytime as the passion and the heart that goes into it is immense.

And as Liverpool football team walk out onto the pitch the stadium roars with the excitement and love from the crowd. No matter where you sit in the stadium it is fantastic, you can see what you need to see - The team of course! Surrounding the stadium is many pubs, full of the Mighty Reds all in good spirits whether Liverpool win or lose to be honest! If you want a totally amazing day out to watch a fab team and to experience a breathtaking atmosphere, Anfield is most definitely the place to go, Unless your a Manc!

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Best Stadium in the world, Fact!

When I was 10 years old, I was a mascot for Liverpool F.C. in the last game of the season against Southampton, in the days when Jamie Redknap was wearing the captains' armband.

I remember how nervous I was that day, especially as it was my first ever trip to Anfield, as my family at the time lived all the way down in Portsmouth. So getting up early the previous morning, and setting of in the car up the motorway, the nerves didn't kick in until we turned off at the Liverpool Junction, and I saw how red the city was.

The streets were full of dedicated Liverpool fans, all standing outside pubs, all wearing red, all singing. It was an atmosphere I had never tasted before, as I did not travel to many Portsmouth games. I can remember seeing a Southampton coloured van driving along one of the main roads, with all the Liverpool fans standing and watching. It was like an enemy tank driving through the city center of its enemy's country.

We turned a corner, and there it was, in all its glory, Anfield. We parked the car and as I opened the doors, the actual level of atmosphere hit me. People singing, laughing, shouting. Stalls all over the pavements selling reds merchandise. The famous gates with "You'll Never Walk Alone" were the most impressive and overpowering gates I had ever seen.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, before I knew it, I was all suited and booted, standing outside the dressing room where all my heroes were inside, getting ready to do just another days work. In one ear I could hear them working each other up, shouting, words of advice, studs jumping up and down, "Come on boys!" every two seconds. Out the other ear, I could hear 45,000 people all singing simultaneously.

Out came Jamie Redknap, armband on, followed by what seemed the largest men I have ever seen. Jamie Redknap put his hand on my shoulder, and winked."Ready?" he asked.

The song of the 45,000 people changed to THAT song,"You'll Never Walk Alone!"

Out I ran...the atmosphere was indescribable.

The noise came from all angles, the pitch looked so big. I ran into the direction of the KOP and they were all still singing.

I kicked a football around for what was the longest 5 minutes of my life, and loved every second...

Anfield is the best stadium in the world. Watching the games on television, especially those European nights, and I can feel the sensational atmosphere pouring out the screen.

Liverpool fan or not, a trip to Anfield is an absolute must.

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great place to visit

anfield in my oppinion is the bestest football stadium in the world. however, its isnt because of its capacity whcih is 40 000 its more about the atmosphere on match day. anfields most famous stand is called the kop, home of the kopites very much. it gets its name from the battle of spion kop which was fort in the 18 hundreds. most of the soldiers who fort in this battle were from liverpool and a member of liverpool football club thought it would be suiting to name a stand after the battle. liverpool capital of culture 2008 is the home of anfield. Anfield is a great day out, especially the museum tour where you can view an impressive trophy room full to the brim reminding you of past and present victories. it is possible to go into the changing room of the home players which is a bonus as not many clubs allow this.overall anfield is a fnatastic place to vist.

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Great place to go watch a game of football.

ANFIELD

Steeped in history, legends, pride and passion. Home of Liverpool football club since 15 march, 1892. This is Anfield. Before 1892 it was then home to Everton football club. Due to the rent increases by a certain Mr John Houlding, Everton soon left and settled in the end at Goodison. Mr Houlding being left with an empty stadium and a few board members wanted to start a new club.He couldn't decided on a name, but he then thought bigger and in the end finally agreed to his secretary's proposal, and so named his club after the entire city rather than just one of its suburbs, even adopting by 1894 the City's colour of red for the playing shirts and by 1901 the Liverbird as the crest. Which is famous the world over.

The majority of Everton's backroom and playing staff left for Goodison, so Liverpool FC had to be built from scratch. Winning our first league title in 1900-01 season, then the following......

After awhile following some early success the club decided to build a proper main stand which would incorporate dressing rooms for the players. The stand itself was built and cost a total of £1,000. The stand was made of timber and remained relatively unmodified until the 1970's when it was to become as it is in modern times. The stand was at the time considered extremely good for the football ground. In the middle of the stand roof was a semi-circular gable in red and white. A large plaque was later placed on this area reading 'Liverpool Football Club'. Today though the only thing left of it are photographs as the original itself was lost in development of the stand. The stand at the Walton Breck Road end was also extended at the time of the main stand development and two years later a stand was built on Anfield Road itself. The stand contained a standing area for fans and was made in similar style to the main stand. The stand was built rather low so as to not affect the general view in the area.

In 1906 the ground underwent its next transformation which was to become legendary across the globe. John Houlding and club secretary John McKenna decided after the clubs second championship title win that the fans deserved a better enclosure behind the goal at the Walton Breck Road end. The Kop stand was built upon a huge bank of ash and rubble. Crush barriers were built on to the steps of the embankment and the now legendary Kop was born. The new stand at that end though was not the only improvement at the time. The pitch was raised up slightly and a paddock was introduced around it. The new stand however was the main development and it was later named the Spion Kop by local newspaper writer Ernest Edwards. This was after the battle of the Speon kop hill during the boer war in 1900. Many local Liverpool and merseyside soldiers died in the failed battle to secure the hill. There was one last building feat to take place in 1928. The addition of a flagpole for the club was erected at the corner of the Kop and Kemlyn Road stands. It is today known to many as flagpole corner. The flagpole also has a history to it. The pole is made up of the mast from one of the first ever iron ships called the Great Eastern. This ship first set sail in 1860 but about 20 years later the ship had been left to rot across the river Mersey at Rock Ferry. The mast which had survived was bought by the club and was taken across the Mersey to Liverpool before being dragged up Everton Valley by horses.

Liverpool Football Club has played its home games at Anfield Road since their birth as a club in 1892.

It was in 1892 though that the major development in terms of a team happened. Following an increase in the rent for the ground, Everton decided to up sticks and find a new ground which they have now stuck with across Stanley Park at Goodison. John Houlding was now left with a ground capable of housing many fans but no team to play in it. In May 1892 Liverpool Association Football Club was formed and a team was now available to play at Anfield once again. The ground did require alot of work to it however when they came to playing their first games. After the rent dispute many Everton members removed the fittings of the ground such as the turnstiles.

On 23rd September 1892 Liverpool FC played their first competitive match at Anfield. They faced local side Higher Walton and ran out winners on the day 8-0 in front of around 200 fans. In the first days of Liverpool playing at Anfield the Sandon pub on oakfield drive was the dressing room for the Liverpool team. They then had to walk down the road to the pitch and play before returning along the road to the dressing rooms.

In 1894 following some early success the club decided to build a proper main stand which would include dressing rooms. The stand was built and cost about £1,000. The stand was made of timber and remained relatively unmodified until the 1970's when it was to become as it is in modern times. The stand was at the time considered extremely good for the football ground. In the middle of the stand roof was a mock semi-circular gable in red and white. A large plaque was later place on this area reading Liverpool Football Club. Today though the only thing left of it are photographs as the original itself was lost in development of the stand.

The stand at the Walton Breck Road was also extended at the time of the main stand development and two years later a stand was built on Anfield Road itself. The stand contained a standing area for fans and was made in similar style to the main stand. The stand was built rather low so as to not affect the general view in the area.

In 1906 the ground underwent its next transformation which was to become legendary across the world. John Houlding and club secretary John McKenna decided after the clubs second championship win that the fans deserved a better enclosure behind the goal at the Walton Breck Road end. Archibald Leitch was brought in to design the layout of the new ground.

The Kop stand was built upon a huge bank of ash and rubble. Crush barriers were built on to the steps of the embankment and the now legendary Kop was born. The new stand at that end though was not the only improvement at the time. The pitch was raised up slightly and a paddock was introduced around it. The new stand however was the main development and it was later named the Spion Kop by local newspaper writer Ernest Edwards. This was after the battle of the Spion kop hill during the boer war in 1900. Many local soldiers died in the failed battle to secure the hill. The new design to the ground meant that the club could now host some 60,000 fans.

In 1921 the ground was considered so good that one of that years FA Cup semi finals was played there between Wolves and Cardiff. It wasn't the first time either that such a semi-final had been played there but what made this one significant was for the attendance of King George V and Queen Mary.

In 1928 came a great engineering feat when the Spion Kop was covered. It became the largest covered terrace in the country. The roof was supported by a series of stantions across the terrace but not too many so as to obscure many views which is what made the engineering feat all the better. At this point in time both the main stand and Kemlyn Road stand were made longer so as to reach up to the Kop stand. The Kop was officially opened by John McKenna on 25th August 1928.

There was one last building feat to take place in 1928. The addition of a flagpole for the club was erected at the corner of the Kop and Kemlyn Road stands. It is today known to many as flagpole corner. The flagpole also has a history to it. The pole is made up of the mast from one of the first ever iron ships called the Great Eastern. The ship first set sail in 1860 but some twenty years later had been abandoned to rot across the mersey at Rock Ferry. The mast which had survived was bought by the club and was taken across the mersey to Liverpool before being hauled up Everton Valley by horses.

The Anfield ground then stayed pretty much untroubled for thirty years except for minor repairs. In 1957 the reds installed floodlights at a cost of £12,000. They were first used in a Floodlight Challenge trophy game with Everton on 30 October 1957. The reds incidentally also played a similar match at Goodison to coincide with their floodlight introduction.

With the Anfield ground not changing much over thirty years parts of it were beginning to look dated and conditions for all were not the best. All this changed when the great Bill Shankly arrived at Anfield in 1959. He was angry at the conditions and said that the ground was not good enough for the fans who supported them each and every week. After his reign began, the reds started to improve Anfield and after promotion was gained in 1961-62 season the Kemlyn Road stand was demolished. A huge new cantilever stand was built in its place at the cost of some £350,000. The one big issue that was not resolved at this time was the sunlight allowed through to the houses on Kemlyn Road and as a result the roof sloped towards the pitch rather than upwards.

The next upgrade to the ground was at the Anfield Road end of the ground. At the end of the 1964-65 season the stand was removed and a huge brick terrace was installed instead. Finally it was the main stand that was to be developed but this didn't take place until th seventies. The main stand was expanded rather than demolished altogether to include seats and better facilities for the players and also the inclusion of a proper TV gantry. The stand was officially opened in March 1973. The new stand also saw the loss of the four floodlights in the corners of the stadium. Instead the ground was lit up by a series of floodlights along the main stand and Kemlyn Road stand. TThe next main additions to the ground were seats. The paddock in the front of the main stand was converted to seats in 1980 whilst in 1982 the Anfield road end was altered to accommodate seats. Undersoil heating was introduced at this point too. 1982 was to prove a changing year for the ground on the outside too as the Shankly gates were unveiled. Bill Shankly's wife Nessie unlocked the superb set of gates for the first time on 26 August 1982. Sadly they were not erected before his death. n 1985 the Heysel tragedy claimed 39 Juventus fans' lives and a change was brought about to football. Anfield changed two years later with a more 'at-home' ground made. The Kemlyn Road stand was given a fresh look with coloured seats and a police-room was built. In 1989 after the Hillsborough disaster the Taylor Report stated the all grounds in the country would be all-seater. This recommendation in itself led to the demolishing of the most famous stand in the game - the Kop.

The last set of major changes that have taken place have all occurred in the nineties. The Kemlyn road stand was finally demolished and re-built as a huge double decker cantilever stand. The plans to build the stand had been made much earlier but two old ladies living in Kemlyn Road refused to move out of their house and the plans were put on hold. When one of the old ladies died the other finally moved out and the plans were put into action. The stand was officially opened on 1st September 1992 by Lennart Johansson and named the Centenary stand. The stand includes executive boxes and function suites as well as some 11,000 seats.

The Kop was rebuilt in 1994 after the Taylor report and became all seated. It was the end of an era for Anfield although in the circumstances a move that had to be made. Today the Kop holds just over 13,000 seated fans and can on occasions produce a similar noise to that of years ago. It may never be the same again but the legend lives on.

The last change to the Anfield stadium came in 1998 when the new two-tier Anfield Road end was opened. Original plans for a huge double decker stand were forced to be scaled down. The stand that was built was not as high as planned and was, like the centenary stand a long cantilever one. It is not the only problem though that the stand has encountered and at the beginning of the 2000 season a series of poles had to be brought in to give extra stability to the top tier of the stand. During Ronnie Morans testimonial against Celtic many fans complained of movement of the top tier. Investigations found that the frequency of the construction wasn't high enough and the stantions were inserted. At the same time that these were inserted the executive seating area was increased down a couple of rows in the main stand to the detriment of the fans in the paddock. Liverpool Fc are now moving to stanley park which is situated next to the current Anfield. A 60,000 seater stadium with room to extend the seating to 70,000 is being built, and a whole new chapter of Anfeild will begin.